SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The city's police and fire departments were busier than ever last year, according to Saratoga Springs' annual Department of Public Safety Report.

For police, overtime was down but crime was up in 2012, the report indicates.

For the fire department, overtime was up slightly, but so was revenue as the city implemented its first ambulance transport program.

Police Department

Advertisement

Fifteen percent more serious crimes were reported in 2012 than in 2011, according to the Public Safety report.

Police Chief Christopher Cole said that figure sounds more alarming that it is, considering crime statistics were so low to begin with.

For instance, he said, the report shows a 300 percent increase in forcible rape in the city, but eight rapes were reported in 2012 when in the previous year there had been two. Cole said most of those were not "stranger rapes," though, such as the Sept. 1, 2012, incident reported near the intersection of Lake and East avenues.

There were also seven more felony assaults -- assaults that either caused serious bodily harm or were against a police officer -- in 2012 than in 2011.

"Given the number of people we have in the city, particularly during the summer months, I still think these numbers are extremely low," Cole said.

There was also a spike in burglaries and larcenies in 2012, which Cole and Investigations Lt. John Catone both attribute to drug-users.

While motor vehicle accidents were up in 2012, Cole said the city actually had a fortunate year. There were more personal-injury accidents, but few were serious.

"I don't think that means there were more people driving drunk, I think more were taken off the street," Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen said. "I think it comes down to how much you are able to patrol."

Mathiesen reiterated a point he has made since his campaign for Public Safety commissioner in 2011 -- that when the city slashed seven police positions in 2010, it created long-term staffing issues that continue to affect the department and take a toll on proactive policing.

The commissioner said there were fewer uses of force in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2012 than in 2011, which he attributed to more cooperation from downtown bars and clubs and a greater presence of private security guards.

The city's fire department handled 24 percent more calls in 2012 than ever before as a result of its takeover of ambulance service.

Because of the takeover, minimum staffing requirements increased in the department, as did overtime to cover those shifts.

At the same time, the department brought in $710,000 in new revenue, which more than covered the cost of overtime.

City firefighters responded to 103 fires in 2012, down from 141 in 2011, and fewer "hazardous conditions" calls. However, they responded to 843 more medical calls in 2012, averaging 8.83 per day.

The department also inspected 119 more buildings in 2012 than in 2011 and found more than 12,000 violations.

City firefighters were provided with nearly 1,000 hours of training in fire and medical classes last year as well.

"We accomplished a lot," Mathiesen said of his first year in office.

Already this year, the police department has been further reorganizing to cut down on overtime. To manage those costs, Mathiesen also hopes to train more police officers in July and hire two new firefighters.